Spectacles In Colum McCann's Let The Great World Spin

Irish-American writer Colum Mc Cann(1965-)is one of the most recognizable writers in contemporary English literary world.The novel Let the Great World Spin(2009)attracted widespread concern as soon as it was introduced and won the American National Book Award and the IMPAC Dublin International Literary Prize.This work dexterously strings a city and an era with a tightrope-walking spectacle,revealing an all-inclusive urban life spectacle of New York City in the 1970 s.Based on relevant theory of Debord's spectacle culture,through studying the spectacles which has caused confusion and alienation and human condition presented in Let the Great World Spin,this thesis is to demonstrate that modern people are not powerless in the spectacular society,in return,people can employ the certain ways to dispel the impact of the spectacle to return human nature and subjectivity.First,this thesis discusses the loss of self in the spectacle.Tillie's blind pursuit of the spectacle eventually led to the shattering of her hopes.Gloria,with a mark of black slave,has forgotten the historical spectacle forever and left her alone,thus disclosing the helplessness of the black women who are at the edge of the society.Furthermore,it analyzes alienation of human beings in the spectacle.In the novel,judge Soderberg,as the producer of spectacles and Corrigan,a priest who was bent on saving the unbalanced world,slowly became alienated by the spectacle and eventually led to their lack of faith and inner imbalance,left a slave of spectacle.By analyzing the different manifestation of alienation,this thesis believes that this reflects the author's ethical concern for modern people in a spectacular society.Finally,ways to accomplish redemption in the spectacular society are another concern of this thesis.Characters in the novel reinvent themselves through return of art and quest for identity and remold themselves in the spectacular unbalanced world.By demonstrating condition of modern people in the society of spectacle,this thesis argues that contemporary society has become a spectacle-packed society.People enjoy the spectacle while being enslaved by the spectacle.Therefore,people should hold a sober mindand maintain their true nature in the spectacle thus embodying Mc Cain's humanitarian concerns for the general public.